Edging for hat supports



July 13, 1943. 1 CREPER 2,324,366

`EDGING FOR HAT SUPPORTS Filed March 8. 1945 INVENTOR. 45 Lows Crepe!- A T TORNE Y Patented July 13, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE EDGING FOR HAT SUPPORTS Louis Creper, Philadelphia, Pa.

Application March 8, 1943, Serial No. 478,361

6 Claims.

This invention relates to hat supports such as those inserted into a hat box for supporting a hat during the shipment and storage thereof, and is an improvement on the support disclosed in my co-pending application for Patent for Hat support for hat boxes, Serial No. 358,196.

In said co-pending application, I have disclosed a comparatively soft edging to contact with the hat to prevent the undesirable marring or marking of the surface of a felt hat during shipment and storage of the hat,

The present invention contemplates the provision of an economical edging and of a method for economically securing the edging to the support in such a manner that it is in spaced relation to the surfaces of the support, the attached edging yielding or swaying with the hat as a unit relatively to the support when the hat is subjected to such shocks as might move the hat within the box, thereby avoiding chafing.

The various objects of the invention will be clear from the description which follows and from the drawing, in which,

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary vertical section of a typical hat box and hat support therefor, to which my invention has been applied.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of one form which the edging assembly may take and wherein the supporting sheet b-lank is curved, part of the supporting sheet for the edging being shown folded and the remainder being shown at and as it appears before folding and after the edging has been secured thereto.

Fig 3 is a similar view of a straight form of the same.

Fig. 4 is a vertical section of the unfolded part of the edging assembly of Fig. 2, showing in dash-dot lines the original form of the edging prior to its attachment to the supporting sheet.

Fig. 5 is a similar view of the folded part of the edging assembly of Figs. 2 and 3.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary vertical section similar to Fig. 1 of an intermediate hat support on an enlarged scale, showing how the edging assembly may be fixed if desired to the hat support.

Fig. 7 is a similar view of the same showing the displaced position assumed by the edging relatively to its support on movement of the hat.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary perspective view of a at supporting sheet and of the edging assembly during the step of assembling them.

Fig. 9 is a developed View of a modified form of the invention wherein the edging strands or cords are secured in spaced relation directly to the single sheet which forms an intermediate hat support and also forms the support for the top and bottom edging,

Fig. 10 is a vertical section of the same after the sheet has been folded into its operative position.

Fig. 11 is a perspective View of a tubular supporting member showing how the edging is attached thereto. l

Fig. 12 is a developed view of a single supporting sheet and edging combined, showing how the edge portion of the sheet may be folded to arrange the edging in its proper position after it has been secured to the sheet.

Fig. 13 is a vertical section of the same showing the edge portion folded and showing the original flat portion thereof in dash-dot lines.

Fig. 14 is a front view of the finished intermediate support of Figs, 1 and 6.

In the practical embodiment of the invention shown by way of example, the usual hat box I4 is provided with hat supports as I5, I6 for the hats I3, the supports being preferably made, as is usual, of paper sheets bent into tubes of conical or cylindrical form. The main support I5 is usually slightly conical, the end edge portions thereof being overlapped and secured as by the staples I7, Fig. 11. The edging for the support I5 is provided only at the top edge I8 of the support. The intermediate support I6 is of generally cylindrical shape and is secured at its end edges by staples similarly to the support I5, but the edging is provided both at the top edge I9 and at the bottom edge 2D (Fig. 6), since the intermediate support is interposed between and is in contact with two of the hats I3. Other supports as 2I, 22 are arranged in the box It, but since they are not pertinent to the present invention, no further description thereof is deemed necessary. As has been already indicated, it will be understood that the edging assembly, and the method of making it, may take a variety of different forms and may be accomplished in a number of different ways.

Referring now to Figs. 2 and 4, I have there shown the edging 23 secured to a flat strip or blank as 24 of paper or the like having curved or arcuate edges. Said edging 23 is preferably in the form of an elongated substantially cylindrical cord or strand preferably of untwisted and hence soft cotton or the like, or of other fibrous material softer than paper and preferably softer than the hat felt, the fibers being arranged generally parallel to cach other and to extend longitudinally of the strand. The original diameter of the strand is approximately one quarter of the width of the supporting strip 24, as shown by the dash-dot lines of Fig. 4. To hold the bers together and to permit the strand to be easily handled without appreciable loss of material, the strand is wrapped at relatively widely spaced intervals with two sets of cotton or the like threads 25, 25. The threads of each set are in substantial spaced relation to each other, while the pitch of one helical wrapping set is opposite to that of the other set. To secure the strand to the strip 24 and simultaneously to perforate the strip so that it may readily be folded along the line of perforations, the line of stitching 21 is made by a sewing machine through the longitudinal center lines of the strip and strand. The stitching operation not only secures the strand in place and not only perforates the sheet, but also compresses the strand to approximately half its original height. The stitching engages the Wrapping threads 25, 26 and tensions the threads, thereby slightly compressing the strand fibers. The strand is compacted by the stitching operation to a sufficient extent to prevent disintegration thereof during handling and while it is in use in the hat box as an edging. The thus stitched and compressed strand is divided by the stitching into two substantially cylindrical and interconnected adjacent lengths secured to the sheet 24 only by the line of stitching 2'I and consequently is movable to a limited extent relatively to the sheet about the stitching as a hinge or pivot, as will be more fully explained hereinafter.

The sheet 24 is not used in its flat state but is readily folded on itself at the line of stitching as shown in Figs. 2 and 5 to form the substantially parallel fiaps 23, 29. The folding operation is preferably performed simultaneously with the mounting of the edging assembly on the edge portion of a hat support, and if desired, simultaneously with the operation of bending the edging assembly into a tubular or other form of a second bent-up sheet.

As shown in Fig. 8, the edging assembly may be folded and at the same time mounted on the hat support as I or I6 while the support sheet is flat. This is done by arranging the under face of the sheet 24 on the upper edge I9 of the support sheet with the line of perforations formed by the stitching 2'I at said edge I9, then bending the respective flaps 23, 29 downwardly and on to opposite faces of the support sheet. Said support sheet may then, together with the edging assembly, be bent into tubular form with its end edges overlapped and finally stapled at said end'edges, thereby holding the edging assembly in place. If desired, the edging assembly may be stapled to the support sheet as by the staples 3l (Fig. 6) though in most cases such stapling is not necessary.

In order to compensate for the differences in the lengths of the inner and outer flaps 29 and 28 when bent into tubular form and to prevent undue wrinkling or puckering of the flaps, the blank sheet 24 is preferably,V though not necessarily, made of arcuate form as shown in Fig. 2. Where the intermediate support sheet I5 is of little height and thickness, the edging support sheet as 33 (Fig. 3) may remain straight.

As shown in Fig. 11, the edging assembly may be mounted on the edge I8 of the support sheet as I5, corresponding to the edge I8 of the sheet I6, after said support sheet I5 has been bent into tubular form. The perforations in the edging support sheet due to the stitching, aid 84S;

hereinbefore described, in the folding of said edging sheet and aid in the retention of the flaps in their folded positions, owing to the weakening of the fold line thereby. In either case, that is, whether the edging assembly 1s mounted on the support sheet before or after said support sheet is bent, the edging 23 covers the fold only and is in spaced relation to the flaps and to the remainder of the support sheet, since it becomes arranged to project laterally and transversely a substantial distance beyond the edging support and the hat supporting sheet. The edging adequately serves its function of interposing a soft, flexible and movable member between the hat and the comparatively hard paper of the support. Should the hat move Within the box while resting on the edging 23, said edging moves with the hat as a unit relatively to the support about the stitching as a hinge or pivot and prevents any chang action (Fig. 7).

As shown in Figs. 9, 10, 12 and 13, the separate edging support may be omitted, and the edging secured directly to the support sheet. In Fig. 9, two lines of edging as 35, 36 are secured by the respective lines of stitching 3l, 38 to the same sheet 39 inwardly ofthe edges of said sheet, which may serve as an intermediate support similar to the support I5. The outer flaps 40, 4I thus provided are folded into the position of Fig. 10 substantially parallel to each other and to the remainder of the sheet, and are secured if desired, by the staples 42, whereafter the sheet 39 may be bent into tubular form and its ends stapled 'as above explained in connection with Fig. 8.

Where a curved or arcuate blank support. sheet is used as a main support similar to the support IS, the same method is followed as shown in Figs. 12 and 13. The edging 43 is stitched by the stitching 44 to the sheet 45 in inward spaced relation to the edge 46 to form the flap 41. Said ap is then folded back on to the body of the sheet to arrange the edging so that while it covers the fold, it extends in spaced relation to the sheet and the flap thereof, Whereafter the sheet together with the edging are bent into tubular form and stapled. Y

In any of the forms of the invention, the edg ing may be made slightly shorter than the strip or sheet to which it is attached to avoid the formation of a double thickness of the edging at the ends of the strip or sheet when said strip or sheet is bent into tubular form and overlapped at its ends.

It will be seen that I have provided an efflcient and economical edging for hat supports and a simple method for making such edging. Various changes, however, may be made from the specific forms and methods of the invention herein described without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim: v

1. In a hat support, a paper sheet having a pair of substantially parallel aps joined by an integral fold, a strand of substantially parallel fibers covering the fold and in outward spaced relation to the flaps, and a line of stitching passing through the strand and the fold, said stitch-V ing perforating the fold and compressing the strand and pivotally securing the strand to the sheet.

2. In a hat support, a paper sheet folded on itself along a predetermined fold line, an elongated strand of fibrous materialv arranged on said line and laterally overhanging the sheet, and a line of stitching passing through the longitudinal middle line of the strand and passing through the sheet and perforating the same at said fold line, said stitching compressing the strand, and hinging the strand to the sheet at said line of stitching and weakening the sheet at said fold line.

3. In a hat support, a tube of flexible sheet material having an edge fold and a pair of substantially parallel flaps extending from the fold, the width of each flap being a minor fraction of the diameter of the tube, a strand of brous material covering the outer face of the fold and arranged in outward spaced relation to the naps, and a plurality of threads helically wound in spaced relation to each other around the strand and maintaining the -brous material in place in the strand, and stitching passing through the strand and the fold longitudinally thereof.

4. In a hat support, a tube of sheet material having a fold therein providing a flap thereon, a strand of brous material covering the outer surface of the fold and arranged in outward spaced relation to the ap, textile wrapping threads Wrapped helically around the strand in two series, said series being of relatively opposite pitch, and a longitudinal line of stitching through the strand and the fold.

5. In a hat support of the character described, a rst paper tube, a second paper tube folded longitudinally to provide a pair of aps and a fold joining the flaps, said second tube receiving the edge portion of the first tube between said flaps, a strand of material softer than the paper of the tubes covering the outer surface of the fold and in spaced relation to the aps, and stitching passing through the strand and the fold.

6. In a hat support of the character described, a tube bent from an arcuate sheet paper blank, the edge portion of the blank being folded on to the remainder of the blank to provide a flap and a fold joining the flap to the remainder of the blank, a strand of material softer than the paper of the blank covering the fold and in spaced relation to the ap, and a line of stitching through the strand and the fold.

LOUIS CREPER. 

